Dan Mercier

In the first round, one of the best regional rounds anywhere in the country this year, both Mercier, who won the Lebanon Valley Dragway event in June, and Bourke advanced with runs in the 5.30s. Dan Page was the only winner not to run in the .30s, and he just missed with a 5.401. Two drivers even ran in the 5.30s and lost: defending national champion and two-time Cecil County winner Duane Shields, who ran a 5.38, and East Region points leader Rich McPhillips, who went a 5.36. Mercier temporarily gained low e.t. with a 5.34 against Shields, and New England Dragway winner John Finke reset low e.t. for good with a 5.32 opposite McPhillips.

Bourke, who tunes his car himself and reached at least the semifinals at every regional event this season, advanced with a 5.39 against Schuster and won the semifinals over Page, 5.39 to 5.42. In the other semi, Mercier drove around a Finke holeshot to reach his fourth career final at Cecil County, 5.35 to 5.47. In the final, a rematch of the 2006 race, Bourke, who won here in 2007, left first and made his best run of the weekend, 5.34, to hold off 2006 and 2008 event winner Mercier's close 5.38.